sisters to the end
by shel
Summary: phoebe’s receives unexpected help in her fight against christy…
1. part 1

**CHARMED **

**"Sisters to the End"**

by shel

© april 2006

_disclaimer: the charmed ones, cole, and leo, and the rest of the cast of characters we've come to know and love, belong to spelling television, inc. and possible other copyright holders. i intended no true infringement on their copyrights; i only wanted to borrow these marvelous characters for a short time in my own scenarios and hopefully return them no worse for wear; the only things i've gained from this story are the satisfaction and pleasure of having written it and in knowing that others may have enjoyed it too…_

_rating: pg-13_

_summary: phoebe's receives unexpected help in her fight against christy…_

_timeline: a few days after the events of s8's 'the torn identity'…(written before 'the jung and the restless' so it doesn't take into account any of those events…)_

_archive: please don't without expressed permission…_

_notes: minor references to s4's 'charmed again,' s7's 'seven year witch,' s8's 'vaya con leos,' and s2's 'morality bites'…please let me know if you enjoyed my tale and why and, if not, why not…and, please, don't bother wasting your time or mine by sending any flames…_

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_**Part One**_

"You set me up!"

Phoebe ducked and rolled out of the way from the incoming energy ball. The table of books only partially protected her but it suddenly exploded from another attack. She winced at the loss of more texts that good magic might never be able to recover, not that good magic had true access to Magic School anymore. If only Christy had chosen another location to hide out. But another energy ball whizzed by her head and she grabbed another vial from her shoulder bag as she darted for safety behind the large desk. As she aimed at the demon, she realized that if the trap didn't work, she'd have to make a run for it. She didn't have enough vanquishing potions left to go solo against another demonic contingent that Christy would undoubtedly send and, unfortunately, Magic School no longer offered the same protection it once did.

"Where's Billie!"

"Don't worry," Phoebe smiled sweetly as she stood when the demon exploded in agony, "my sisters are with her. They'll keep her safe."

"I'm her sister!" Christy shrieked. "I'll keep her safe, safe from the likes of you!"

"Don't bet on it," Phoebe countered. "You were out of her life longer than you were in it. You think a few weeks back home and you've influenced her enough to turn her back on everything she believes in? Dream on, sister…"

"You killed our parents. You and your sisters and Billie knows that," Christy taunted as she brought her hands to her temples and squeezed her eyes shut.

But Phoebe saw the motion and sent a different vial flying at Christy. She did grimace in pain for a moment or two as she felt the heat coursing through her. But it was only for a moment and she soon discovered that her trap had worked.

"What the hell is this?"

"This," Phoebe grinned as she indicated to the white electric grid trapping the firestarter, "was a hell of a long shot. Now," she added as she brushed the dirt off her pants, "we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Your choice."

"What're you talking about?" Christy struggled within the grid but every time she touched it, she was shocked by the electric current.

"First things first," Phoebe murmured. She needed to strengthen the trap or Christy would eventually break free and she needed to give as much time as possible to her sisters to talk sense into Billie. Somehow, she felt she had the easier job. _"Evil lies she will not spin, not while good magic traps her in."_

"No!" Christy tried to break free again but, this time, the shock was powerful enough to knock her off her feet.

Relieved the spell worked, Phoebe stared at Christy and, surprisingly enough, felt pity for the young woman. "You never had a chance did you? You were so young when you were kidnapped and I'm sure they filled your head with all sorts of tales about the evils of witches. What'd they say, that they would help you save Billie if you worked with them against us?"

"Shut up!"

"Don't you see, Christy?" Phoebe approached the grid, "Billie's not the one who needs saving. It's you. She's spent her whole life searching for you, learning her craft, all to find you. And she did. She's given up so much of her life for you. And now she's lost her parents."

"Because of Piper!" Christy retorted as she finally managed to crawl to her knees. "Because of you!"

But Phoebe continued in a calm voice as if she hadn't heard, "You're all Billie has left. Don't let all her sacrifices be in vain. Don't let her lose you too. Trust me, losing a sister isn't something you ever get over and --"

"What would you know?" Christy grunted as she touched the grid again.

Taken aback that the Triad hadn't given Christy a complete overview of the Charmed Ones, Phoebe told her, "Paige wasn't one of the original Charmed Ones. My, our, oldest sister, Prue, was. But Prue, she was killed by a demon. And not a day goes by that I don't feel her loss. Don't put Billie through that pain, not when you can do something about it. Let Billie help. Let Billie, let us, save you."

Christy pretended to consider Phoebe's words, all the while she was telepathically trying to reach that nasty little Sharkle demon she'd once met in her training. "Your sister was killed?"

"You can't imagine the loss. Please don't put Billie through that pain. Let us help you both," Phoebe quietly entreated.

Christy now spotted the creature phase into the room behind Phoebe and she smiled, "Not a chance…"

Cursing herself for allowing Christy to distract her with thoughts of Prue, Phoebe was already reaching into her bag for another vial but the fire was already emitting from the demon's claws and she hadn't managed to grab the vial. And just as she was about to jump out of the way, she was shoved to the ground by a heavy force that hit her from behind.

"Stay down!"

It wasn't the command that caused her to freeze but the voice behind it. And she found herself unable to look in that direction to see if it was true.

"Who the hell are you?" Christy demanded after the tall stranger quickly destroyed the demon. But she didn't wait for an answer before calling for reinforcements.

Phoebe spotted two new demons from the corner of her eye and quickly sat up to find two others approaching from the opposite direction. "I'll get these two!" She reached into her bag and grabbed two of her last four vanquishing potions and quickly fired one at one of the demons. She was already aiming for the second demon but its fire bolt caught her by surprise and she doubled over in pain. Another bolt singed her shoulder and she tamped down the pain long enough to heave her vial in the demon's direction. She fell to her knees and only vaguely heard the multiple demonic screams before she curled into a ball on the floor and let the darkness overwhelm her even as she whispered, "Cole…"

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He pressed the cloth to the burn on her abdomen and hoped she would wake soon. He was pretty sure he was in Magic School but he had no idea when nor why the place wasn't swarming with children or witches. If only his future-self had given him some information. But no, all his future-self had said was that Phoebe was in danger and needed him. And now he was stuck with a trapped witch and an unconscious Phoebe whom, he knew, was not happy to see him. Still, he realized as he swept some hair from her face, she was still Phoebe and he still loved her.

Phoebe opened her eyes to find herself staring into his worried blue ones. But she couldn't speak. She could only stare. And she was all set to push him away from her. Except that her traitorous hand decided to move and she found herself lightly, almost nervously, stroking his scruffy beard. "You look like hell, Cole," she informed him.

"Not the first time you've told me that," he shrugged. Of course, that time, she'd been referring to Belthazor, not himself.

She didn't remember what he was referring to but didn't have time to find out. She had to first make sure Christy was still trapped and that her sisters were successful with Billie before she could begin to deal with Cole's unexpected appearance. She pushed him back as she slowly sat up on the sofa. To her relief, she was still in Magic School and Christy was still trapped in her electric grid. But Christy was crumpled on the floor in its center and, unfortunately, as soon as Phoebe tried to get up to investigate, the searing pain caused her to stumble and she fell right back into his lap.

He refused to let her see that her attempt to crawl away from his touch hurt. "Easy…" He helped settle her back on the cushion, "it's a nasty burn. Your shoulder isn't as bad. Why don't you call for Leo?"

Phoebe shut her eyes. The last thing she wanted was to fill him on her life. How did he get there? "What's wrong with Christy?" she wondered with her eyes still closed as she felt the cloth being pressed to her wound again.

He stiffened but only for a moment and maintained the pressure on the burn. "If you mean the witch in that trap, I didn't know what you were up to but figured you'd meant her to be in there so I added a bit of strength it. She put up a bit of a struggle and the shock knocked her out."

"How do you know she's a witch?" Phoebe asked, opening her eyes.

"I've always been able to sense demons, you know that," he reminded her. "But I didn't sense that from her. Not that she seems completely good but she's definitely not demonic."

"Good," she murmured, "maybe we can still save her after all."

"What's going on?" Cole questioned as he had a tube of ointment and some bandages appear next to him. "Who is she? And why were you fighting her alone? Where are your sisters?"

Phoebe shook her head and tried not to wince as he tended to her wound.

He noticed and apologized, "I wish I could heal you but that's one of the few powers I didn't manage to acquire from the Wasteland."

She also tried not to feel comforted by his gentle touch and instead focused on the current situation with Christy. "Don't worry about it, I've got it under control."

Cole was gingerly spreading more ointment on the burn and offered, "Maybe I can help."

"Haven't you done enough?" She regretted the harsh words the instant they slipped through her lips. But he'd already abruptly stood and turned from her. "I'm sorry," she quickly apologized. "You saved me and I should be grateful."

"It's okay," he replied. But he didn't turn to face her.

"No, it's not," she commented as she carefully stood and approached him from behind. She placed her hands flat on his back but removed them the instant she felt his muscles tense. "I was in the middle of this…look, Cole, it's a pretty bad situation right now and I'm more than a bit scared it's gonna blow up in our faces. And then you show up and, well, you were an easy target. I really am sorry for what I said."

"Obviously things never got better between us," he realized aloud. "I'm sorry." She was silent and he added, "But you're still in danger or I'd have been returned to my time so why don't you fill me in on what's going on?"

Phoebe let him lead her back to the sofa as her mind swirled with thoughts of what she should say. "How are you here?"

"My future-self paid me a visit in the middle of me trying to…never mind," he mumbled. No need to tell her he'd been trying to figure out how to end his miserable existence. "He told me you were in trouble and next thing I knew, I was here." He finished pressing the bandages to her wound and he glanced at her only to find her eyes wide with shock. "Did I hurt you? Just now, I mean…"

His future-self? "That's impossible," she whispered. "It couldn't've been. You're not --"

When she stopped speaking in mid-sentence, Cole immediately understood, "I'm not alive in this time, am I?" She didn't answer but the fact that she averted her eyes was confirmation enough. "How would a ghost have the power to send someone through time?" But one look at her face and he realized the situation was worse than he suspected. "Phoebe?"

At the risk of changing the past when he'd go back, she only admitted, "You don't exist anymore, Cole, not in any way."

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	2. part 2

_**Part Two**_

"Don't you want to know more?" Phoebe called to him from the sofa after he strode across the room. She'd have tried going after him but, as she learned from trying to roll onto her side, it still hurt to move.

"Not particularly," he replied while he stared at Christy. "She seems familiar somehow."

"Christy Jenkins," she said as she cleared her throat. Maybe it would be better if they stayed away from the personal stuff. "The Triad had her kidnapped when she was a little girl. They said she was the --"

"Key to ultimate power," Cole finished. "I remember now." He finally turned around and shamefully added, "When I was Source."

"It's okay," she shrugged, "it happened and we can't change it." She sat up and leaned back, "What about Christy?"

"They were training her." He began walking back to her, "Secretly, of course. They had ambitions about ruling and Christy's sister was their way to achieve that goal."

Curiosity got the better of her, "If you knew what they were up to, why didn't you stop them?"

He wearily sat down next to her, "I was waiting for them to find the other witch first. Once she was under my -- under control, I would have taken care of the Triad…once and for all."

"I think we've done that already," she said. "How many more are there? I mean are they gonna re-form in another five years with some other plot to get rid of us?"

"If Christy's made contact with her sister, you've got bigger problems than the Triad."

"I know," she sighed. "Worst part is that we had no idea Billie was the ultimate power. I don't think she did either." She noticed his raised eyebrow and explained as simply as possible, "Billie came to us for help. She wanted to learn to use her powers and she wanted to find her sister."

"In exchange for?"

She frowned, "In exchange for nothing. We were happy to help. Besides, having her around meant extra help with fighting evil and that's something we couldn't turn down."

"She got to you…"

Phoebe nodded, "She was so enthusiastic, so eager, and she reminded me of what it had been like in the beginning." She glanced back at him, "I guess Billie reminded me of the fun of the magic. She just…fit, like she belonged with us."

"And then you found Christy for her…"

"Billie did that," she corrected, "but I guess we did have a hand in it. And Christy was in terrible shape, afraid of everything, not remembering how to behave like a human. And we all tried to help her."

"You really didn't know it was an act?"

"No," she sighed, "and I no longer have my power of empathy -- never mind, now we realize that Christy's been manipulating every action in her favor." She turned her gaze to Christy, "And it's worked because Billie thinks we betrayed her, that we let her parents die, and I don't know how we'll convince her of what Christy's really like."

"Sometimes it's not easy to accept," he quietly commented, "that what we're seeing is not the truth but what we wish to be the truth."

"You're not talking about Billie and Christy, are you?"

Cole stood and walked a few steps away from her, "All I ever wanted was for us to have a shot at a real future together."

"That's all I wanted too, Cole," she assured him. "But so many things went wrong and so many -- I know it wasn't all your fault."

He spun back to her, "I was the one who --"

"But I," she interrupted as she awkwardly stood, "let a lot of it happen. And in the end, I let my anger consume me to the point of…I'm sorry, Cole, I never wanted to hurt you and I never wanted to lose you, not like that."

"Maybe if we'd had more time," he stepped closer, "maybe if I hadn't pushed you so hard…"

She met him and, this time, deliberately caressed his cheek, "Maybe…"

He pulled away first and broke the contact, "So what now? You vanquish Christy and problem solved?"

A part of her wished he hadn't backed off so quickly but the other part of her was relieved at the opportunity to set aside her mixed up emotions. "Billie would never forgive us if we vanquished her sister. We just need to separate them until Billie understands what's really going on. That's what Piper and Paige are doing, trying to make her see the truth about what's been going on ever since we found Christy."

"It's not smart to split up the Power of Three," he advised.

"I just hope we can save them both before it's too late," she sighed.

"It's already too late."

Phoebe turned to find Billie standing in the center of the room. "Where are Piper and Paige?"

"Where's my sister?"

"Over there," Cole indicated behind her.

Billie spun around and yelped when she saw Christy unmoving on the floor in the electric cage. "What'd you do to her?" She ran towards her sister and automatically reached out only to find herself being flung back.

"Billie, please…"

Billie sent a spear flying at Phoebe who ducked, "It wasn't enough you killed my parents, now you kill my sister?"

Phoebe grabbed Cole's arm to stop his retaliation, "Billie, listen to me, we didn't kill your parents. And I didn't kill Christy. She's just unconscious. C'mon, Billie, you know me. You've lived with us for months. You know how we lost our mother and you know how we lost Prue. Do you honestly believe we'd put you through the same thing?"

Cole noticed that Christy was beginning to stir and he pulled Phoebe to the side, "Time to go."

"Wait a minute," Billie uttered as she finally recognized Cole from his pictures in the Book of Shadows, "I thought you were dead. Did you hurt her?"

"No," Phoebe quickly declared when she happily realized Billie still had some concern for her well-being. "I don't know how he got here but I don't care right now. I only care about you and --"

"Yeah, right," Billie sniffed, "the love of your life shows up and you don't care? Is he the one that did this to Christy?"

"Billie, please," Phoebe stepped forward, though not shrugging off Cole's protective arm, "listen to me, you found us. You convinced us that we should help train you so that you could find your sister. We worked together and we've saved each other so many times. You believe in the magic. You believe in the fight against evil. And you found your sister. But she was raised by demons, Billie. She's been twisted inside by evil."

"She's not --"

"You got into her head," Phoebe interrupted. "You started reminding her of her life before she was kidnapped. She's confused now, Billie. Use that confusion to turn her back completely to the side of good. Let us help you save her soul."

"My soul's perfectly fine, thank you," Christy muttered as she got to her feet and glared at Phoebe. "Don't listen to her Billie. She doesn't know you, not like I do. You may have lived with her but she's not your sister. I am. And I will protect you."

Cole sensed the invader before the demon appeared and he shoved Phoebe to the side as he attacked. But he wasn't prepared for the second demon that jumped inside his body as soon as the first one was killed.

"Cole!"

A ball of electricity involuntarily shot from his hand at Phoebe and he struggled to push the demon out. "Get out of here, Phoebe! I don't want to hurt you!"

But Phoebe wasn't about to run, not without him, and she reached into her bag for a vial. Hopefully Cole's invincibility would save him while the demon inside would be vanquished. But before she could throw it, Cole's body shuddered as the demon exited. She met Cole's gaze for a split-second before his eyes closed and he slumped to the ground. She looked up from his body to find the demon grinning. She was frozen in place. In his hand was a beating heart. And as the fingers squeezed the organ into a bloody pulp, she found her voice and screamed.

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	3. part 3

_**Part Three**_

Paige leaned back into Henry's embrace as they stood watch over Phoebe. She was still on the floor, cradling Cole's body, and hadn't spoken once in the two hours since Paige had found them and orbed them to the safety of the manor.

"Where'd Piper go?" he quietly asked as he kissed her temple.

"To find some answers," Paige replied. "I don't know what to do, Henry. I have no idea how Cole got here or what happened to Christy and I'm afraid Phoebe's…"

"She's in shock," he told her. "You said she loved him, right?" Paige nodded and he kissed her again, "Then I can only imagine what she's going through if she's lost him again, especially if it happened right in front of her. I love you, Paige, and I don't want that to be me one day."

Paige turned around in his arms and hugged him tightly, "I don't want that to be me either. I love you so much."

"I should've told him…"

Startled, Paige dropped her arms from around her husband and spun back to her sister. "Told him what, Pheebs?"

"Told him I loved him," Phoebe sniffled as she stroked Cole's cold cheek. "But all I did was tell him that he no longer existed. He died thinking I no longer --"

"I'm sure he didn't," Paige quickly interrupted. "He knew how you felt about him. Why do you think he was so desperate to get you back?"

"I don't understand how he came back," Phoebe glanced up at her younger sister. "He said his future-self sent him here, that I was in trouble and needed him."

"Cole saved you?"

Phoebe looked at Cole again and nodded, "Christy sent for reinforcements even while I had her trapped. Cole pushed me out of the way just in time. And then," she tried to pull his stiffening body closer to herself, "he bandaged me up when I was burned in another attack. He even tried to send me away when the demon possessed him."

Paige stiffened in fear as old memories flashed through her mind, "Possessed him?"

The tears fell again as she told Paige, "Only for a minute or so and then it left but it…it took…" She pressed her hand to his chest that bore no mark of the attack, "It took his heart out when it left and it…it crushed it…"

"Oh, Phoebe," Paige held out her arms to Phoebe and was distressed when Phoebe shook her head. So she went to Phoebe's side and knelt next to her sister, "Honey, please, you're in shock, let me take you upstairs so you can rest."

"I can't leave him," Phoebe tearfully insisted, "abandon him like I did before."

"You didn't abandon him," Paige stated. "He hurt you and you tried to make him see that it couldn't work. And maybe you both still loved each other but you couldn't stop him from going insane and you couldn't stop how he died."

But Phoebe only hugged Cole tighter and rocked him to and fro.

Paige glanced back at him for help so Henry volunteered, "Why don't I stay here?" When he saw Phoebe look up at him, he assured, "I'll stay with him. Go on upstairs with Paige."

Paige sighed gratefully and tugged on her sister's shoulders, "C'mon, sweetie, get some rest. Henry won't let anything happen to him."

Phoebe stared from one face to the other before gazing back at Cole's. She bent forward and kissed his forehead before allowing Paige to help her up.

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"Is she sleeping?" Piper whispered when she entered Phoebe's bedroom and found Paige sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Where've you been?" Paige whispered back.

Piper indicated for Paige to follow and she carefully closed the door behind her. "I was trying to find some answers."

Paige also kept her voice low as they stood in the hallway, "You said that three hours ago."

"I needed to know how Cole managed to end up here," Piper said.

"Phoebe said something about his future-self sending him," Paige shrugged, "but we know that's impossible because there's no future-Cole around to go back in time." But she caught Piper's expression and frowned, "What? You know something, don't you."

Piper nodded, "There's something I didn't tell you or Phoebe. Leo wanted me to but I didn't want to reopen any old wounds and I thought it was for the best that you didn't know, especially Phoebe."

Paige steeled herself for Piper's confession, "Know what?"

"The old friend that I said helped me in limbo…"

"Don't tell me…"

"It was Cole," Piper confirmed.

"How is that possible?"

"Does it matter?" Piper countered. "He helped save my life and my marriage. And I thought he helped Phoebe when she seemed to believe in love again. But he's in limbo and that means he's not alive."

It was a lot to absorb but Paige managed to ask, "He has the power to go back in time?"

"I didn't think so."

Paige's eyes suddenly widened in shock, "You didn't try to find him, did you? You didn't try to kill yourself?"

"Of course not," Piper quickly told her, "but I did try calling for him. I must've tried a dozen spells and nothing worked."

Paige glanced at Phoebe's closed door, "So maybe it wasn't a past-self that saved Phoebe tonight."

"It had to be," Piper argued. "I was in limbo with him. He might've been able to influence things a bit but he didn't have the power to escape. And, truth is, I'm not sure he wanted to."

"What do you mean?"

"I think he felt limbo was a safe place for him," Piper considered, and not for the first time, "and that it was easier to watch over Phoebe than it was to risk getting hurt again. Besides, I got the feeling that I wasn't the only soul he'd helped and maybe a part of him was grateful for the opportunity to, I don't know, atone for past sins."

"He still can't let go," Paige worried.

"He won't interfere," Piper assured her, "not directly anyway. He didn't give me any messages for her. He wants her to move on, Paige. He wants her to find love and be happy. He's trying to save her from becoming lost and ending up in limbo too. And I believe him."

"He loves her…"

"Don't you think she still loves him?" Piper countered. "She'll be the first to tell you that he was her longest relationship. Haven't you noticed the way she's brought him up more in conversation?"

"Coincidence."

Piper shook her head, "After all these years she's finally dealing with losing him. She's past all the anger and bitterness."

"She needs to know," Paige insisted. "You have to tell her about him. What she needs is closure. Maybe that's what's been holding her back from finding love. All her other relationships ended with closure except the one with him."

"I agree," Piper nodded, "but I just told you I can't call for him. And he's obviously not watching over her now or he'd sense her pain and confusion."

"So maybe the past was changed if Cole died here instead of in an alternate reality," Paige suggested. "Maybe he's not in limbo but back in the Wasteland."

Piper cautiously opened Phoebe's door and took a peek. Phoebe was still curled up on the bed. "She's the one with experience in the Wasteland but she's hurt and I don't think she's ready for this."

"I healed her burns," Paige told her, "but you're right about her not being up for this. So what do we do now?"

"We'll resort to Plan C and set up that trap in Magic School."

"I meant about Phoebe."

"I guess we try to keep her together long enough to deal with Billie and Christy and hope that Cole can hold his own in the Wasteland until we can deal with him," Piper sighed.

"He escaped the last time on his own," Paige reminded her.

Piper tried to control a shiver, "I just have a bad feeling about this." She heard Phoebe's soft moan and sighed again, "I wish she hadn't sent Coop away because she could use a bit of healing on her heart right now."

"Maybe Michael can help," Paige suggested. "Where's Phoebe's phone? His number's probably on her speed dial."

Piper grabbed Paige's arm to stop her sister from moving away, "Phoebe's not in love with Michael. She only said that so Coop would think he succeeded and would leave her alone."

"I don't understand."

"Coop was falling in love with Phoebe," Piper explained, "and she didn't want him getting hurt."

"Are you sure about that? Cupids are all about love." But even as she spoke, Paige shook her head, "Yeah, I saw it in his eyes. But why would she lie to him. We all know she liked him."

"But like isn't love," Piper pointed out, "and no matter how we feel about it, or try to convince her otherwise, Phoebe just isn't ready to fall in love right now. Coop was relentless, though, and she probably thought it would be less painful for him this way if he thought he'd succeeded in helping her find love."

Paige eyed her suspiciously, "Phoebe tell you all that?"

"No," Piper admitted, "but I know Phoebe and I know I'm right."

"We could call for him," Paige suggested. But Piper shook her head so she sighed, "I'll orb Henry and the boys to your dad's house. It'd be safer for them to be together."

"And I'll work on a new batch of vanquishing potions," Piper agreed as Paige headed for the stairs, "Phoebe was down to two and we don't have enough between us to cover a major attack."

At the top of the stairs, Paige paused, "This's it, isn't it? The big battle the Angel of Destiny warned us about."

Closing Phoebe's door completely, Piper nodded, "And if we fail, I won't have to worry about saving Leo."

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	4. part 4

**_Part Four_**

She'd already exploded ten demons and Piper was growing tired. If Christy and Billie didn't show up soon, they would have to give up on Plan C.

"Athame!" Paige commanded as she sent it flying back at the demon that had thrown it. He'd been the last demon standing.

The Charmed Ones backed up towards each other and scanned the room for other demons.

"If this doesn't get their attention," Paige murmured, "I don't know what will."

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Halliwell sisters," Christy greeted as she and Billie entered the room from the hall. Acknowledging the tears in their outfits and their disheveled appearance, she smirked, "You're just gluttons for punishment, aren't you?"

Phoebe ignored Christy and focused on Billie, "Cole told me about Christy. When he was Source, he discovered what the Triad was doing with her."

"Torturing her!" Billie spat.

"Training her," Phoebe corrected. "She wasn't tortured, Billie, at least not like she's led you to believe."

But Billie didn't want to hear, "I'm glad he's dead! You said the Triad worked for the Source so he's the one responsible for what happened to her!"

Phoebe shook her head while unconsciously squeezing each of her sister's hands, "By the time Cole became Source, the Triad was already deep into her training."

"You're lying!" Christy shouted as she pulled Billie back.

"She wouldn't lie about Cole," Paige commented with a slight nod to her sister, "not anymore."

Christy turned to Billie, "He's the one who made the trap stronger. I could've died and she'd've let it happen."

"We're trying to save you," Piper declared, "not kill you."

"Billie, please," Paige appealed, "the ultimate power doesn't have to be evil. You and your sister could be a powerful force for good. You could continue helping people, saving innocents. The two of you together."

Christy didn't like the way Billie was concentrating on the Halliwells and she tugged on her sister's arm, "We need to end this, once and for all, or they'll always be after us. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in hiding, Billie. I don't want to live in fear that someone's going to take me away."

"I won't let that happen," Billie promised. "But, Christy, maybe they have a point. Maybe we should go away for a while, just the two of us and --"

"No!" Christy jerked back, "They won't let us go. Don't you see, Billie, they think I'm evil. They want me dead."

"That isn't true!" Piper argued. "You know it's not true, Billie."

"You came to us for help," Paige reminded the young witch, "because you wanted to find your sister. Do you honestly believe we'd have taken you in if we wanted your sister dead?"

"You knew the truth about Billie," Christy accused, "and you wanted to keep her close, to keep her under your control."

"We love you, Billie," Phoebe quietly countered. "You're a part of our family and all we want is to help you and your sister. You just have to let us."

"You wouldn't stop us from leaving?"

Piper glanced at her sisters before shaking her head, "Not if that's what you want."

Billie tugged on Christy's sleeve, "Let's go, okay? We just lost Mom and Dad and I don't want to lose you too."

"You won't lose me," Christy promised with a smile as she rubbed Billie's arms, "because we can end this now. We're stronger than they are, Billie. Deep inside, you know we are." She focused on Piper, "And I can't let you get away with murdering our parents."

Piper raised her hands to her face as she felt it heat up but even worse than the fear of dying was the shock when Wyatt orbed in front of her and protected her with his shield. She knelt next to him, hugging him tight, before instinctively waving her hands to blow up Christy.

"No!" Billie shouted and automatically retaliated. But the object she sent flying at Piper bounced off Wyatt's shield.

"Going after innocent babies now?" Paige questioned with disappointment.

Billie immediately realized what she'd done and stepped back. "Nnno, of course not. I just, I mean he…"

"You came to us," Paige reminded her. "You convinced us that we needed to continue fighting evil."

"You helped remind us how important good magic can be," Phoebe added.

Piper straightened with Wyatt in her arms, "Think about all the innocents that will be lost if you give up now."

"I'm not giving up," Billie desperately insisted. "Why can't you see what you're doing?"

"Because they're too selfish and self-centered," Christy replied. "They don't care about anyone else's pain. We don't have a choice, Billie. We have to protect ourselves. I'm your sister and we have to stick together. Weren't our parents innocents? Didn't they deserve to live, to be happy and reunited with both their daughters? We'll never have that now, thanks to them."

"It isn't fair," Billie angrily agreed as she spun back to the sisters.

"No it isn't," Christy stated as she grinned, "so we'll just have to even the score." She nodded to the corner of the room where a demon materialized holding an athame to the baby's neck.

"Chris," Piper uttered in shock. But before she could act, the demon slit Chris's throat and dropped the body on the floor before disappearing.

Piper practically dropped Wyatt as she raced towards her baby, screaming for Paige's help.

Billie stared at her older sister in shock and stepped back, "Did you order the demon to do that?"

"Now we don't have to worry about them coming after us," Christy stated. "Now they'll understand the pain we feel."

But Billie still backed away, "He was only a baby, Christy. How could you let that happen?"

"I'm sorry, Billie," Christy entreated, "but it was them or us. Now, come on, let's get out of here."

"No!" Phoebe stepped in front of Wyatt as angry tears streamed down her cheeks. The rage was so powerful and she felt she could barely contain it as she clenched her fists. "You're not going anywhere, bitch."

Billie gasped at the sight of electricity sparking from Phoebe's fists. "Phoebe, what --"

Phoebe didn't hear her, didn't see her. All she saw was Christy. She raised her arms and let the power out.

Billie darted towards Phoebe and pulled on Phoebe's arms, "Phoebe, please, she's my sister. She's confused. You have to stop! Please, you're hurting her. It's enough."

But Phoebe watched the electricity send Christy into contortions of pain. "It's not enough. How much more pain do we have to suffer? How many more sacrifices do we have to make? How many times do I have to watch him die?"

Oblivious to the attack, Paige prayed as her glowing hands finally began to seal Chris's wound.

Her hands soaked in her son's blood, Piper murmured a mantra of, "Please, God, please…"

Chris's small body gave a spasm on the floor and he'd barely begun to cry when Piper grabbed him into her arms and squeezed him tightly, "Thank God, oh, God, thank you…"

Paige breathed heavily, murmuring her own bit of thanks, when she spotted Phoebe from the corner of her eye. "Oh, my God." She scrambled to her feet, "Phoebe, no!"

Piper glanced up to see the horror of her sister's once-predicted future coming true, "Phoebe, no!" She got to her feet still holding Chris tightly in her arms.

Phoebe didn't even glance at her sisters and kept up with her attack on Christy, "She killed Chris!"

"No, sweetie," Piper quickly said, "no, Paige healed him. Look, Phoebe, see he's fine now."

"She killed Cole!"

"He was dead anyway," Paige countered as she cautiously approached her sister. "Please, Phoebe, don't do this."

"She's my sister," Billie pleaded. "She's all I have left."

"Remember Cal Greene," Piper requested, hoping the memory of that consequence would shock her into stopping.

"She's not innocent," Phoebe cried. "She's evil and she'd kill us anyway."

"Phoebe, please," Paige reached out, "Cole wouldn't want this. Come here, please."

Curled on the floor, smoke pouring from her body, Christy weakly called to her sister, "Billie…"

And Billie's fear suddenly turned to anger and she sent a dagger flying at Phoebe, stopping it inches from her heart, "Go ahead, give me a reason."

And something in Phoebe snapped. She felt the energy drain from her and lowered her hands as she stepped away from the dagger's tip and stood next to her sisters. She lowered her head and apologized, "I was so angry. I didn't mean to --"

"To what," Billie screamed as she knelt next to Christy, "kill my sister?"

"Cause you to kill," Phoebe softly replied.

"We're leaving now and you're not stopping us," Billie announced as she placed her arm around Christy and supported her sister.

"Talk to your sister," Paige told her, "and try to convince her about the power of good magic or next time…"

"Are you threatening us?"

"We don't want to hurt you," Piper swore as Wyatt hugged her leg, "but we will protect our family. Whatever it takes."

"And so will we," Christy hoarsely declared as she squeezed her eyes shut.

Billie watched as Phoebe doubled over in pain. "Christy, no, stop!"

"That's enough!" Piper shouted as she waved her hands and tried to blow up Christy.

"We'll need a Power of Three spell," Paige realized as she orbed Phoebe to her side under the protection of Wyatt's shield.

"Christy, please, let's just go."

"No," Christy insisted as she shrugged off Billie's arm, "they're evil and need to be destroyed. Don't you get it, it's why I was sent back. To find you and destroy the Charmed Ones. Without them, there won't be any stopping us."

Billie sent Phoebe flying into a bookcase and pleaded with her sister, "We're safe now, Christy. As long as we're together. Come with me, we'll go far away from them. Please, Christy."

Piper waited for Phoebe to move but her heart was in her throat as she feared Billie might've just killed her sister. She shoved Chris at Paige and repeatedly kept trying to blow up Christy. Already weakened by Phoebe's attack, Piper kept it up, knowing it was only a matter of time before she succeeded.

Billie knew there was nothing she could do and she cried as her sister suddenly exploded in millions of tiny pieces. "I hate you," she whispered sharply to them as she fled the room.

Paige was already at Phoebe's side and didn't notice Billie's exit. "It's not working, Piper."

Piper fearfully nudged Wyatt towards his aunts, "Help Auntie Paige, Wyatt. Help her heal Auntie Phoebe."

But Paige only shook her head and glanced back at her older sister. "I don't know why but it's not working."

"Maybe I can help…"

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	5. part 5

_**Part Five**_

Piper didn't know if she should cry tears of joy or sadness but she pulled Wyatt back while she let her husband work.

"She's fighting me," Leo realized.

"Maybe Wyatt should help again," Paige suggested, just as Phoebe stirred.

"Stop," Phoebe weakly ordered as she struggled to open her eyes. "Hey, Leo, welcome back."

"Don't talk," he instructed.

"Stop," she repeated with a painful shake of her head. "Don't want to be saved."

"What're you talking about?" Paige uttered.

"Met my destiny," Phoebe replied. "Time to be free…"

"Not when you've found love," Paige insisted. "I know you're hurting but you can't give up now."

"Tired," Phoebe closed her eyes. "Time to let go…"

"No, Pheebs," Piper whispered as tears fell from her eyes. She kissed Chris and encouraged her sister, "Don't let go."

"It's time for you to have faith."

Piper gasped at the newcomer who approached her sisters, "Cole!"

He ignored them all and concentrated only on Phoebe. He lifted her hand from the floor and brought it to his lips, "Don't let go."

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Phoebe sat in the sunroom and watched the boys playing on the floor. It had been three days since the events at Magic School and she still had no idea what to say to Cole who, thankfully, had kept his distance from her. That is, when he wasn't off somewhere doing who knows what. Of course, she'd barely spoken to her sisters either. Both Paige and Piper were spending much deserved quality time with their husbands. The doorbell rang and she waved to her nephews as she left the room to answer it.

"Can I come in?" Billie meekly asked.

"Of course," Phoebe quickly replied. "You know you're always welcome here. How are --"

But Billie cut her off. She didn't want to hear the question. "It's all a little surreal, y'know? I mean all I wanted was to find my sister and when I do, I lose both her and my parents in the space of two weeks. I feel…I feel like I'm all alone."

Phoebe threw her arm around Billie's shoulders, "You're not though, you're not alone. You've got me and Paige and Piper."

"You're not my sisters."

There was no anger in her voice but the comment was sad enough to drive home the point and Phoebe dropped her arm. She glanced up to see Paige and Piper coming down the stairs, "No, honey, we're not. But we love you and want to help."

"I'm so sorry, Billie," Piper apologized. "I wish there had been some other way."

"We wanted to save her," Paige added. "We wanted, we tried, to save both of you."

"But she didn't leave us any choice," Phoebe quietly concluded.

Just then, Leo, Henry, and Cole entered from the kitchen and Billie stared at them, "Guess you all get your happily-ever-afters, huh…"

Phoebe reached out first, "Honey, that's not what --"

Billie shrugged off her hand, "It's okay, I understand what happened. That's why I came over. To tell you that I've had time to think about it all and I do realize you had no choice."

"Accepting that, Billie, is your first step on the road of healing."

All turned to find the Angel of Destiny standing in the living room.

Piper reached for Leo's hand and frowned at her, "You could've warned us."

"I did," the Angel smiled. "I gave you the information you needed."

"You didn't think we needed to know the truth about Billie?" Paige complained. "You might've saved some innocents."

"Like my parents," Billie said.

"You told us we had to fulfill our destiny," Phoebe accused, "how many more sacrifices have to be made to do that?"

The Angel told them, "You are the greatest witches of your time but it wasn't just your destiny at stake." She indicated to Billie and Cole, "It was theirs too."

"Cole was already dead," Paige reminded her.

"He existed in limbo," the Angel countered, "and, thusly, still had an effect on the living. He changed his fate and earned his reward. As did Piper, as did Billie."

"What reward did I earn?" Billie scoffed. "My parents and sister are all dead."

"You gave them the gift of love," the Angel warmly replied. "Billie, your parents had been destined to die by burning alive at the hands of your sister. But your intervention changed all that. You gave your sister a chance to make peace with her parents, whom for so long she believed had abandoned her. And you gave your parents the chance to let her know how much they loved and missed her."

"They were murdered," Billie insisted.

"But they died happy, Billie." The Angel rested her hand on the young witch's shoulder, "They died knowing their two daughters were together and safe and loved them in return."

"I guess," Billie shrugged.

"New destinies await you," the Angel told them with a mysterious smile. "Face them proudly…"

They stood in awkward silence after the Angel disappeared until Piper finally cleared her throat and invited, "Stay for dinner, Billie. There'll be plenty of food."

Billie shook her head, "I don't think that's a good idea. I mean, I understand why you had to do it but Christy was my sister and I…I'm sorry but I can't forgive you. Not now, not yet."

"We understand," Phoebe assured her. "You need time. But if you ever, ever, need us, we're here for you."

Billie nodded and opened the front door again, "I'm gonna finish the school year and then, I don't know, maybe I'll take my last year off. But right now, I don't want anything to do with magic or with you."

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Two days later, Phoebe found herself at work staring at the bunch of flowers in Michael's hand. "I'm sorry, Michael, but this just isn't working." She quickly maneuvered herself around her desk and took his hands in hers, "You are such a great guy and I know you've been trying so hard but --"

"There's someone else, isn't there?"

"I'm not sure there's a future in it," she honestly told him, "but I can't seem to let go and I have to let it play out." A knock on her door interrupted and she sighed, "Come in."

Though her face expressed surprise, Michael wasn't mistaken about the way her eyes lit up. Without waiting for introductions, he kissed Phoebe on the cheek, "I hope it works out for you."

"Hope what works out?" Cole asked as he watched the young man walk away.

Phoebe shook her head to clear away the surprise, "What're you doing here?"

"I think it's time we talked," he simply said. "You free for lunch?"

"Already ate," she automatically replied but quickly indicated to the sofa lest he think she was making an excuse. She popped her head into the doorway and instructed her assistant, "No calls except a family emergency." She turned around to find Cole still standing. "Something wrong?"

"You tell me," he countered. "Not even your sisters are avoiding me. I'll leave town if that's what you want but until you talk to me…"

"You'd leave town?"

He couldn't help it and he reached out to sweep some errant strands of hair behind her ear. "If that's what you want."

"You've changed," she softly realized.

"You've noticed."

"I'm sorry, Cole, it's just…you were gone for so long and I thought I'd dealt with all the emotions but then you came back and --"

"Ruined your life."

"Saved my life," she corrected. "You're always saving my life, Cole. Just once I wish I could've saved yours."

Finally, he smiled, "You did save my life, Phoebe." He caressed her cheek, "The first time you told me you loved me after you learned the truth about me. You knew the demon and you still loved me."

She ached to feel his arms around her, his lips on hers, but she found the strength and stepped back. "It's not that easy. Don't you think I want you in my life, Cole? I always wanted that. But I'm afraid of having you in my life. I'm sorry but I don't know how to make it better."

"You think I'm not scared, Phoebe?" He couldn't help but chuckle, "How many second chances does one person get?" He placed his hands on her shoulders and kept his gaze on her eyes, "I'm afraid of failing too. But I promise you, if it meant saving you, I'd gladly die a failure."

"You won't fail," her voice cracked. "You're stronger now. You've, I don't know, grown."

"So have you," he smiled with assurance. "The question is, where does that leave us?"

"Risking our souls again, I guess," she timidly replied.

"So how about dinner?"

"I just had lunch," she frowned.

"I meant tonight," he rolled his eyes. "Is that French place still open? You know the one we --"

It was if he'd been talking in a foreign language. "I don't understand, are you asking me out?"

"I believe that's what I did," he stared in confusion.

"Like on a date?"

He scanned her office, "Are you okay?"

"Why?"

"Because suddenly you're acting very strange."

"No," she lightly slapped his chest, "I mean why a date?"

"Because we can't pick up where we left off," he shrugged. "We've both changed and we need to learn who we each are before we can move forward. So, how about it?"

"I've got a meeting at five," she found herself saying. "Seven-thirty okay?"

"Okay," he nodded as he turned to go.

Taken aback that he didn't even try to kiss her, she called out to him just as he was about to close the door behind him. When he turned back, she told him, "You were wrong. About being able to heal, I mean. My heart's been broken for a long time, Cole. And so many people have been trying too chip away at the guards it put up. But…"

He stepped back over the threshold and encouraged her to continue.

She met him in there and stood on her tiptoes to softly kiss his cheek, "But you're the one who got through. The only one."

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	6. epilogue

_**Epilogue **_

_**One Year Later**_

The fingers brushing through his hair woke him from his exhausted sleep and Cole quickly opened his eyes to find Phoebe gazing sleepily back at him.

He brought her hand from his hair to his lips and kissed her fingertips soundly. "You scared me."

"Scared me too," she weakly teased. But the tears came to her eyes quicker than the smile to her lips, "Are they…"

He immediately moved from the chair next to her bed and sat on its edge and smiled with assurance, "They're fine, Phoebe, they're small and pink and perfect."

Her memories were jumbled up in a haze of pain and drugs, "There was so much blood."

"Minor complication," was all he replied.

"Hysterectomy?" she worried as the tears fell.

"Honey, no," he gently wiped away her tears, "they stopped the hemorrhaging after the C-section. They didn't have to do anything."

"I can get pregnant again?"

"Let's get these two home first," he teased, kissing her forehead, "before we start planning on the next one."

She closed her eyes a moment before gazing back at him, "They're really okay?"

"According to the three doctors, four nurses, two Whitelighters, and one daddy," he grinned, "they are."

"Daddy…" she smiled. "I like the sound of that."

"I love you," he told her in a voice that suddenly choked. He'd nearly lost all three of his girls. "I love you all so much."

She raised her hand to caress his face but didn't have the energy to keep it there and he caught it as it fell back to her side. "I love you, Cole. And I thank God every day that you came back into my life."

He leaned forward and rested his cheek against hers, "Thank you for my family."

They were quiet for a while before Cole sat up. "I'm going to check on them. Close your eyes and get some rest."

"My sisters here?"

"They were this morning and all afternoon," he informed her. "Henry and I finally ganged up on them and convinced them to go home."

"Do you know if…"

Cole brushed the back of his hand along her cheek and nodded, "Paige reached her this afternoon. She's on the way."

"It's been hard for her, this past year."

"I know," he acknowledged. "But she needed the time to herself. She needed to recover and find herself again."

"Like us…"

"We didn't need a year," he smiled. "We didn't even need a month."

"Do you think she'll accept?" She could barely keep her eyes open anymore.

Cole kissed her again, "She's missing her family and wants to reconnect with you. I think she'll be thrilled to be Godmother to our two little demons."

It hurt to laugh and she groaned instead, "Kiss them for me."

"When you wake up, I'll take you to them and you can kiss them yourself," he promised. "Now go to sleep."

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Cole reached one hand down into each bassinet and watched with joy as one of each of his daughter's tiny hands wrapped around one of his fingers. "Hey there, beautiful ladies, I told you Mommy would be fine. She's taking a nap now but she'll be by later to see you. She loves you both so much. Now, I'm going back to her so I want you to take care of each other until we come back." He placed a light kiss on each fuzzy head of dark brown hair, "That's your job now, to watch out for and protect each other. You're sisters and no bond is stronger than that."

"Almost no bond…"

Cole frowned in annoyance when he turned to find his wife sitting behind him in a wheelchair. "I just left you asleep."

"Couldn't," she shrugged, unable to stifle a yawn. "Needed to see my baby girls."

As annoyed as he was, he wasn't about to let her stand and before she could say another word, he bent down and scooped her up into his arms.

"Oh God," she whispered, "they're so tiny." Phoebe reached down with shaky fingers to lightly stroke her daughters' fine hair. "They're really okay?"

He kissed her and promised, "Ready to go home in another day or two."

She suddenly squirmed in his arms and tried to snuggle closer to him.

"Hey, what's wrong? The twins are fine, Phoebe, I promise."

"I'm just so scared for them, Cole. What if one day it's them against some other set of sisters?"

He kissed her again and carefully sat down in the wheelchair with Phoebe in his lap. She leaned forward to gaze at their daughters through the clear bassinets. He smoothed her hair behind her shoulders and finally answered, "Then they'll deal with it the same way you did, with love and hope."

"Sisters to the end," she whispered before she leaned back against her husband. "I love you, Cole."

"No more than I love you, babe," he murmured, his lips buried in her hair, "no more than I love you…"

_**The End**_


End file.
